Charles Joseph “Charlie” Myers and Marguerite “Marg” Lola (Bayless) Myers were born 1910 and 1909 respectively, and grew up in the Auburn area. Marg graduated from Auburn High School, where she was President of her senior class. After attending Emporia State Teachers College, she taught in one-room schools, including a school in the Western part of the current Auburn-Washburn district. She was a longtime patron of Wanamaker Grade School and Washburn Rural High School, and a member of the Wanamaker PTA. She died in 1998 in Topeka.Charlie had to quit school before completing high school to go to work to help support his family. He did farm work, worked for Auburn Township, became a printer’s apprentice, a butcher, and was a cement finisher and contractor until retiring as he neared 80 years of age. While in the Army during WWII, he was a medic in France. As a cement finisher, he worked on many buildings and construction projects in Topeka and Northeast Kansas including KU’s Allen Fieldhouse and dormitories, the Kaw Area Vo-Tech School (known today as Washburn Tech), various churches, hospitals, banks, and commercial buildings and many residential homes. He was a 60-plus year member of the cement mason’s union and a member of VFW. He served on the Board of Directors for Mission Center Cemetery and regularly did volunteer work at the cemetery until he was 92 years old. He was also certified as an instructor to teach veterans the trade of cement finishing.

Charlie was a member and Director/Chair of the Wanamaker School Board and then a member of the Auburn-Washburn School Board, with a combined total of 25 years of school board service. Charlie was on the Auburn-Washburn Board at the time WRHS was built and relocated to 61st and Wanamaker Rd. After the original Wanamaker Grade School burned down and was rebuilt, Charlie and others attempted to repair the Wanamaker School bell, but found it to be unsafe to place into the new bell tower. They obtained the bell from the Vidette one-room school and placed it in the tower. In 2003, Charlie and family, who had maintained the original bell, donated it to the District and it was dedicated at its location in the Wanamaker School courtyard. During Charlie’s tenure on the Wanamaker School board, the school lunch program was initiated and the school was expanded to include new classrooms, lunch room facilities and a music room. Charlie received his honorary high school diploma from WRHS pursuant to Operation Recognition, and it was awarded to him by Governor Bill Graves at a special ceremony at the Statehouse. Charlie and Marg always encouraged the family to continue their education and to strive for excellence. Charlie and Marg were members of Seabrook Congregational Church. Marg sang in the church choir and Charlie was on the Board of Trustees for the church. Charlie was well-known for his work ethic and dedication to detail and perfection in all he did. Because of all the hard work Charlie had to perform in his life after not being able to graduate from high school, former Auburn-Washburn Superintendent W.A. McElroy had Charlie counsel WRHS students considering dropping out of high school, relate his challenges due to not being able to complete school, and successfully convince them to stay in school. Charlie died in 2005 in Topeka.

Charlie and Marg were the first of 4 generations of the family who have lived and/or attended school in the Auburn-Washburn district. They had three children, all of who graduated from Wanamaker Grade School and WRHS.

Who Is Eligible For the Scholarship?

Any Washburn Rural High School student meeting all of the following requirements is eligible to apply for the scholarship:

• has maintained a 2.5 cumulative unweighted grade point average

• has demonstrated good character, a commitment to the school and respect for his or her classmates and teachers

• is pursuing post-secondary education at a university, community college or technical institution;

What is the amount of the Scholarship?

The scholarship award will be for $1000.